Spidey Sacked

There were rumours circling earlier this year that Tobey Maguire had been summarily dismissed from his role as the wallcrawler and that another actor would fill the tights for Spider-Man 2, but when filming started with Maguire back in the game such rumours were soon dismissed. Talking to the LA Times this weekend, however, Maguire confirmed that he did indeed receive a P45 before managing to reconcile with the studio. As high as Maguire's star has ascended, this tale goes to show that almost anyone is expendable from a multi-million dollar blockbuster - especially when said actor spends much of his time behind a mask. The spat evolved from the actor's request that the sequel be filmed around his personal schedule, to accommodate a bad back - a herniated disc to be precise. "I was going 'They're going to have to make some accommodation for me,' " he told the paper. Apparently he was mistaken. The studio promptly dropped him from the film and word got out that Jake Gyllenhaal would fill the gap, though according to Columbia Chairman, Amy Pascal, the decision was the result of poor communication and concern for the star's health. But were physical limitations over poor health the sole reason? Insiders say no. Apparently Maguire's refusal to come in and undergo a computer scan that would facilitate early effects shots caused friction with director, Sam Raimi. "I could have come in a little earlier, but I was exhausted and didn't understand the importance of it," said Maguire. "I was working [on Gary Ross' Seabiscuit] six days [a week], 14 or 15 hours a day, and then it was, 'Do I want to go in on the seventh day for an eight-hour cyberscan?' If I had understood the great importance of it for Sam, then I probably would have kicked myself and done it anyway." "There was a period where I didn't know what I could do to work it out. I felt a little bit at a loss." But, after visions of a u-turn for his status as an A-list star flashed before his eyes and following some sage counsel from his girlfriend's father (who happens to be Universal chief Ron Meyer), Maguire made the wise decision not to let the role slip through his fingers. He fought to regain his tights, proving his commitment to the role and demonstrating that his back injury would not impede production. Describing his attitude as "inappropriate" in retrospect, Maguire feels that much of the problem could have been avoided if he had properly discussed the issues with producer Laura Ziskin or Sam Raimi. "A lot of this problem comes from me not having gone to them personally and trying to resolve it." A lesson learned, as they say.